The Point Guard Revolution

Ok, I admit it.  Sometimes trends occur in sports and I completely miss them.  Not often now.  But to quote OJ, it happens.

The other day I was watching a college basketball game between the UNC Tar Heels and the North Carolina State Wolfpack.  In particular, I was focusing on UNC point guard Kendall Marshall.   It turns out that Marshall probably played the best game of his career with 13 assists, 0 turnovers and 22 points (on 8 shots). 

Note the order. Assists. Turnovers. Points.  To me, that is how a point guard is defined.  Before you get all whatcha talkin about Willis on me, playing good defense is a given.   Marshall is a classic pass first, shoot second point guard.  If anything, I think Marshall could be a little more selfish since defenses sometimes dare him to shoot.

A pure point guard

To me the point guard is the manager on the court.  He is responsible for enabling the others on the team to do what they do best.  Often times this is by breaking down his defender causing the defense to help creating open looks for others on offense.

In basketball terms, his job is to get the ball to the right person in the right place at the right time. 

That is incredibly important and often misunderstood by too many fans.  The greatest pass in the world is only effective if the person on the receiving end can catch the ball and do something positive with it.  A classic example of this is the amazing around the back pass though 3 defenders to a less athletic big who simply can’t catch the ball on the run.

An added complication to the job is setting tempo.  When should we run? When should we slow it down? Easier said than done.  Too many point guards at all levels run with the wrong group on the floor resulting in unnecessary turnovers.

The definition has changed.  That is no longer how the game is played.  This type of point guard is rare on the pro level and is decreasing on the college level. Even old school coaches like Mike Krzyzewski no longer recruit/play prototypical point guards.  In Duke's last championship Jon Scheyer played point guard. Scheyer played his first 3 years as a shooting guard and was moved to point midway through his senior season.  Since then, Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and now Seth Curry play point guard.  Each of them are shoot first, pass second players.

ESPN, the worldwide hype leader, suggests that this is the golden age of point guards.  According to Mike Wallace, youth, scary athletics and flamboyance are key ingredients for the new generation of point guards. Well that makes sense Mike.  Scary athletes and flamboyance basically describes the NBA.  Wallace should have added the real reason for the change of the guard, a me-first my world, will I make Sportscenter's top 10 attitude.

Who is the best point guard playing in the NBA?

Chirs Paul?

Probably.  Paul is definitely a dominant player averaging 19.2 points per game on 14 shots per game.

Eleven current NBA point guards average 15 points per game or higher.  Each of them shoots at least 12 times a game with Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams and Tony Parker averaging 18 shots per game. 

18 shots per game. For a point guard. 

Today's game manager clearly believes or has been brainwashed by ESPN that scoring has replaced or diminished distributing the ball to the right player at the right time.  In reality, the new theory is that forcing the action by shooting early in the shot clock serves as another means to break the defense down often causing mismatches due to the many amazing athletes in the NBA. 

Do the Miami Heat even have a point guard? Not really although Dwyane Wade and LebRon James can create and dish whenever they chose to. And that is the point.  When they choose to rather than choosing to first. 

Alternatively, the top assist point guards are aging Steve Nash, volatile Rajon Rando, Jose Calderon, Chris Paul and European Ricki Rubio.  

Any guesses to the NBA's turnover leaders?  7 of the top 10 are point guards.  4 of those 7 are shoot first point guards.  Surprised?  Russell Westbrook and his 18 shots per game leads the NBA with 4.2 turnovers per game. 

Still not sold?  Everyone's new favorite player Jeremy Lin, who does demonstrate instinctive passing ability averages 10 shots and 5 assists per game over this season.  As a starter though, Lin averages 16.75 shots per game.   It is worth mentioning that not coincidentally Lin is a turnover machine.  Why? Start with the fact that he has taken a huge leap from Harvard to struggling to make a roster to an NBA starter.  Add that on many plays Lin is simply trying to do too much.  End with the fact that in reality Lin  has played shooting guard the majority of his basketball life. 

As a former gym rat not gifted with great size, I loved making the good pass.  Still do.  Don't get me wrong (hand shaking up and down), I could score.  Just always preferred the satisfaction of creating a wide open look for others. 

Do yourself a favor. Take some time and watch Kendall Marshall. You will appreciate a vintage style point guard playing in today's watch me score world. 

Craft Beer pioneer Sierra Nevada has been in the news a fair amount recently.  They have decided to build an east coast facility in Asheville, NC and have begun distributing in cans (Yeah!).  I recently had my first Ruthless Rye IPA. I'm a big fan of Rye beer with Founders Red's Rye being one of my favorites. The combination of Rye, citrus and bitter hops delivers.  This is not a great beer, but very solid as you would expect from Sierra Nevada.  A reasonable 6.6% ABV makes for a very enjoyable ate winter early spring beer. 

 

Peaches, where are you?

Every morning I walk my dog to a local park.  Recently, I have been running into a woman with one of those crazy looking manmade poodles, doodles or whatever the hell they are called.   I’m clearly not a big fan, but hey a dog is a dog.

 

The real annoying thing is that this woman must have had some dog training that suggests a repetitive loud high pitched command of “Peaches, where are you?” Note the words “loud and repetitive.”   Of course, the rest of the day I mutter to myself and anyone near me, Peaches where are you? So, I have that going for me.

You are waiting for the sports tie in. I know it. Where the hell can “Peaches, where are you” possibly go.

Well, it got me thinking about the 2012 NBA.   When you combine today’s me first hip-hop driven culture with the crazy pace of social media it leaves me somewhat empty.

What current NBA players are for a lack of better term “must see TV?”

The obvious answer is  LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durrant, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.

Ask yourself this question.  Do you mostly watch LeBron because of his incredible natural ability or since he has become a self-made villain?  As a former fan of his game, he has turned me completely off to the point that I do not watch Heat games.  Does anyone else on that list remind you of Michael Jordan, Magic, Bird, Isiah, Charles Barkley or even Allen Iverson?

What about Blake Griffin? I guess that depends on your basketball fandom.  Exciting? Hell yes, he is a dunking machine.  Other aspects of his game? Not so much.  It is tough to root for a guy that obviously cares so little about his game that he is a 50% free throw shooter.  This is no Shaq issue either.  This is a time/effort play.  So if you were a Dominique Wilkins fan you are pretty happy with Griffin.

 Luol Deng, Roy Hibbert, Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rando, Deron Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrew Bynum, Marc Gasol and Kevin Love are all nice players.  The reality is that the league will always need guys like this.  Are you going out of your way to watch them?  Not really. 

Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are making their way to the “old and in the way” bucket pretty fast.  Sure, on occasion they bring major game.  But, even in a strike-shortened season you can really see the career wear and tear.  No disrespect intended, it is what it is.

The Jeremy Lin phenomenon is perhaps the best example of this starless NBA.  Tell me if the NBA was “Fan-tastic” (get it?), would the Linsanity (awful) be so in your face?  Are things so desperate that ESPN has to have 3 Lin live look-ins during the UNC vs Miami college basketball game?  Lin’s Knicks were playing the Sacramento Kings for god’s sake. 

Lin is a classic underdog story.  He plays in the media capital of the world for a bad team.  He has added excitement and wins.   Realistically, would he be gaining this much attention if he was African American?  Would he be getting this attention in Sacramento? Would he be receiving the attention if their truly were other marquee players that fans cared about? 

I hope the kid has a great career.  He plays the right way and is great for the globalization of the game.  It will be fun to measure his game over more than 7 games including when he plays against the marquee point guards in the league.  He clearly belongs, now let’s slow down and enjoy the ride.

Ask yourself this.  Can anyone, much less an undrafted kid from basketball mecca Harvard continue to live up to these unrealistic expectations? 

In an NBA with more likeable stars he would not have to.

Peaches, where are you?

Stronger alcohol content beers have been a trend for awhile now in the craft beer world.  Whereas I certainly enjoy several of them, it is refreshing to see more session beers hitting the market.  I recently tried a 21st Amendment Bitter American (many of my friends have suggested that it was named after me).  21st Amendment proves that you can brew a very tasty & hoppy pale ale at a low (4.4%) ABV.  With St Patricks Day and more importantly the start of March Madness, this is a perfect drinkable beer with no sacrifice of quality for quantity.

The Book of Eli

Admit it.

You don’t like Eli Manning.

There are several reasons. A few being:

1. The legacy of being Archie Manning's son and Peyton Manning's brother
2. The fact that he looks more like a country bumpkin than a football player
3. He has some very annoying facial expressions
4. He plays for the Giants (well that's a reason for me anyway)

This is the biggest reason of all...Eli is really really good.  Possibly the best in the game right now.  Definitely the most clutch quarterback. 

A few weeks back, I challenged a few of my friends questioning who was the better quarterback right now, Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning.  Since they were Pittsburgh Steeler fans, the resounding answer was Ben.  I wonder how they feel today. Probably still in denial.

Once again trailing in the 4^th quarter with Super Bowl XLVI on the line, Eli delivered.  While Eli played well all day, the Giants final drive was a thing of beauty.  Starting from their own 12, Manning threw a first down ball 38 yards to Mario Manningham.  The ball was perfectly thrown into a tight spot that only Manningham could catch. 

Most quarterback’s would not attempt that throw in that situation.  Eli did.

In many ways this Super Bowl came down to 2 plays.  The Manning throw & amazing Manningham catch would eventually lead to the final score of the game.  Somewhat forgotten though, was typically reliable Wes Welker’s drop at the Giants 20 yard line 3 plays before.  The Tom Brady pass was a little high and behind, but Welker got 2 hands on the ball untouched by a Giant. Super Bowl winners make that catch.  To Welker’s credit he owned up to the miss, “Hit me right in the hands. It’s a play I never drop.  It comes at the biggest moment of my life.”

That was the opening Manning needed.  The 2007 Giants were a run first team with a strong defense.   The 2011-12 team struggled to run the ball and have issues in their defensive backfield.  Due to this and their confidence in Eli, the Giants continued to throw the ball even at midfield with approximately 3 minutes to go in the game.  Manning threw 3 more times before the Patriots decided to allow the Ahmad Bradshaw rushing TD in an attempt to preserve time.

Why did conservative Tom Coughlin take this chance? Simple, he trusts Manning more than he trusts his running backs.  Bradshaw had fumbled earlier in the game. 

To nobody’s surprise (other than the Manning haters) Eli easily won the Super Bowl MVP award (his 2^nd in 2 games played).  Manning is 31.  If Eli wins 1 or 2 more, he will be on the Joe Montana level.  Hard to believe huh?

Looks clearly are deceiving, because there is no way you would think this guy has the balls he has to make some of his throws.  Think about the converted Hail Mary to Hakeem Nicks against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round.  In the 2 Super Bowls that Manning has played in, he has 2 80 yard game winning TD drives.   Eli now has an 8-3 playoff record including being an impressive 2-0 in the Supe.   He has averaged 29 TD’s and 4,300 yards for the last 3 regular seasons.

Want more? Glad you asked.  This year Eli willingly put the Giants on his back leading them to victories while playing with the 32^nd ranked running game and the 27^th ranked defense.  The result was the Giants coming back to win 8 times this season including the playoffs. Very John Elway-esque.  

You may not like it.  I know that I don’t. But that is the book of Eli.

For many this realization of Eli Manning’s status as one of the most clutch quarterbacks to play the game can leave a sour taste in your mouth.  Here is a better idea.  Try a Liefmans Goudenband (8% ABV).  This Flemish sour ale offers a complex blend of spices, a very slight nuttiness that is even more enjoyable as you let it breath.  This is a classic Belgian beer that reminds you more of wine than beer.  Much like Eli, it gets better over time. 

Super Thoughts (Pre-game)

Rewind the tape.

December, 5th 2012, the New York football Giants are an unimpressive 6-6.  Most Giant fans and many in the NY media are calling for Tom Coughlin's head.  Fast forward 6 days.  In a must win game against the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo over throws a wide open Miles Austin  for what would have been most likely a game winning touchdown. Result Giants win 37-34.

The Giants go on to win the NFC East division, crush the soft like cake Atlanta Falcons, catch Green Bay on only their 2nd bad day of the 2011-12 season, get two Kyle Williams fumbles that lead to 10 points and voila these Giants are now the team to beat.

Meanwhile the New England Patriots quietly go 13-3, yes 13-3, with little to no defense, a scant running game, but a lethal double tight end offense that creates nightmares for other defensive coordinators.

Most of the media believes the Giants will win the game.  New England is a 3 point favorite in Vegas.

The match-ups favor the Giants.  The Giants pass rush is starting to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks and that is the way to beat Tom Brady.  The Patriots biggest (literally) weapon Rob Gronkowski will play with a high ankle sprain. The Patriots defensive backs are so porous that back-up WR Julian Edelman plays in the secondary 50% of the time.

Think that Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz like that match-up?  Yes. Yes they do.

Legacies are on the line for both teams.  If the Patriots win, Tom Brady surpasses Joe Montana as the greatest quarterback to play.  If the Giants win, Eli Manning, yes Eli Manning, surpasses Tom Brady as the best quarterback playing today.

Due to all of the signs pointing to the Giants, I'll say Patriots 24-Giants 20.

I tried my first ever Stillwater Of Love & Regret this week. It was quite enjoyable. Actually screw that. It was damn good. Monks in Philadelphia (a beer Mecca) describes Of Love & Regret as the perfect spring beer, made with touches of chamomile, lavender, & dandelion. This Belgian spiced ale is a perfect example of why this is the greatest age ever to experiment with and enjoy new beers.

It also has me covered for the Super Bowl. Either I will love the pick or regret it. Sorry. I had to.

Thin Line Between Hero and Goat

Start with this.  Neither the AFC or NFC Championship games were well played. 

The games were fun to watch.  They just were not very well played.

There were some solid individual performances.  Joe Flacco played a good game, for him.  The 49ers defense was relentless.  Vince Wilfolk was a monster especially on clutch plays.  Victor Cruz was Victor Cruz.

Each game came down to special teams.  Both games were lost by Harbaugh coached teams that typically thrive on special teams. 

The Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff and San Francisco 49ers WR/punt returnerKyle Williams ultimately cost their teams a trip to Super Bowl 46.  I found Williams mistakes far more acceptable than Cundiff’s missed 32 yard FG.   Williams, the 49ers back-up punt returner, first mistake was on a fluke bounce of the football that nicked his knee.  He should not have been that close to the ball, but remember that he was the back-up returner.

Williams second fumble ultimately gave the Giants great field position for the game winning FG, was due to him being overly aggressive on a punt return.  Could you really blame him?  Up to that point what confidence could anyone possibly have in the 49ers offense?  For some reason very few people want to say the truth.  Alex Smith sucked on Sunday (1 of 13 on third downs).   The play calling was also questionable at best.

The book on stopping the 49er offense this season was to contain Frank Gore and not let Vernon Davis beat you.  End of story.  Amazingly, the Giants twice let Vernon Davis beat them.  I guess they failed their film study of the 49ers win over the New Orleans Saints last week.  

When the Giants finally figured out the strategy, Alex Smith looked like the Alex Smith of the previous 5 years.  Maybe, just maybe Smith will improve with better wide receivers.  That jury remains out.  The 49ers also have these questions to consider in the off-season.

What the hell happened to Michael Crabtree?  Why did Gore only get 16 carries (4.65 yard per carry)?   Why was Gore out of the game on at least two 3^rd and short plays? Why did the whistle blow so quickly on the Ahmad Bradshaw 2nd down catch before the 2 minute warning?  Bradshaw is known for extending plays by not giving up on runs.   It was the correct call because the official blew the whistle, but why so fast?

The Ravens have similar questions to ask themselves.

Yes, Billy “Don’t Be a Hero” Cundiff missed an easy 32 yard game winning FG.  Yes a case could be made that Lee Evans should pull the ball in and not allow Sterling Moore (WHO?) to knock the ball out.  

There is no excuse for Cundiff. 

None.

How does Billy Cundiff handle himself in the locker room after missing the 32 yd fg?  “To let Ray Lewis down – you don’t know how many games he has left – is pretty tough,” said Cundiff.  Off the record, Cundiff also turned down an offer for a limo ride with Lewis, but suggested that Lee Evans might be available.

Seriously, too many people are jumping on the Flacco bandwagon or giving him a pass for the loss. Flacco played ok.  Consider that Flacco was playing against the 4^th worse pass defense in the NFL.  It was clear that the Pats strategy was to not let Ray Rice beat them.   Flacco under threw a wide open Torrey Smith on their first scoring possession and over threw him on another play where Smith had separated himself from the Pats d-backs.

Ask yourself these questions.  If Tom Brady did not play a poor game how would you feel about Flacco’s performance?  Are you judging Flacco overall or simply comparing him to the disaster that was his performance against the Houston Texans in the divisional round?   Which Flacco will consistently show up for a big game?  Can anyone who willingly grows that mustache be trusted ever?

Please don’t ask Phil Simms his opinion on this because he has been officially anointed Mr. Sunshine and Lollipops.  Jesus Phil, being positive is great, but critique where appropriate.

The Patriots continue to get lucky.  Bill Belichick may be a genius, but you can only win for so long playing the Julian Edelman’s at WR and DB over 50% of the time.  If you are going to roll the dice with so many role players, they have to at the very least minimize mistakes.  Danny Woodhead had to hold onto the ball. Screw the extra 5 yards, hold the ball.  You have Tom Brady playing QB, not Alex Smith.

Speaking of Brady, good players often get away with bad games (Heretofore known as the Eli Manning rule).  Brady forced the ball too many times including on both of his interceptions.  It was like he was doing an Eli Manning impression. At this point in Brady’s career he knows better than to jam a pass into coverage for Justin Edelman or Matthew Slater. It is one thing to allow Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski to make a physical play on the ball.  Edelman and Slater can’t. 

The Patriots are hoping for a good pass rush and a healthy Rob Gronkowski against the Giants.  Belichick will have to find that balance so that his role players can be impactful but not overly relied upon.  The Giants have to establish just a little run game to keep the Patriots D honest and hit Brady early.  

Remember Eli Manning is no Joe Flacco.

Grantland.com had an enjoyable piece this week.  They decided to publish email exchanges between many of their contributors (Bill Simmons included) during the AFC & NFC championships.  The AFC exchanges were far more entertaining mostly due to Simmons being a die hard Patriots fan.  Simmons has a terrific ability to make you feel or perhaps relive his pain as a fan. Features like this concept are what made many of us so excited when Grantland.com was first announced.  This raw personal material (although probably edited) is more meaningful to the passionate sports fan.  Hopefully, we will see more of this material and a little less of the Reality Scoreboard.   

Winter finally hit in the northeast region of the US.  To take the chill off I tried my first Founders Devil Dancer. At 12% ABV, this beer is definitely saying something! This triple IPA is dry-hopped (must be January) with 10 different hop varieties.  Founders has quickly become a stalwart of the craft brewing community.  Translation, they make great beer.  Devil Dancer is a very enjoyable strong IPA.  Pour it into a larger glass let it settle and take your time enjoying the complexity.  

And Then There Were Four

The NFL Divisional playoff round is my favorite.  Two games each on Saturday and Sunday including prime time Saturday night.  Can I get a hell yeah?

Raise your hand if at the beginning of the season you predicted the NY Giants and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.  Sorry Giant and 49er fans your vote does not count here.   Like many people I was all New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers from the jump.

As noted here, I really thought that the Saints were the most balanced team.  It turns out that many of the NFL experts were right.  It was the 49ers.  The 2 things that came out of the 49ers win over the Saints that I did not expect was the overall toughness of the 49ers defense (how you feelin Pierre Thomas?) and Alex Smith’s passing ability in the clutch (you never thought you would read that did you?).

Ouch

Now, if you are a Saints fan you can’t be too unhappy that Gregg “always has been overrated” Williams has departed to be the DC for St Louis Rams.  Why? It is obvious that you stop the 49ers by defending Frank Gore and the run game and taking away Vernon Davis.  Period.  It was completely unacceptable to have Davis in single coverage on the 47 yard pass play that ultimately set up the Davis TD (against zone) to win the game.  Even worse the 47 yard pass to Davis was basically the same coverage as the 49 yard TD pass to Davis in the 1st quarter.

Either way Alex Smith had to make the throws.   And he sure did.  You get that Tim Tebow fans? Make the throws.

Was it just me or do you think that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady really enjoyed the fact that Tim Tebow was getting all the attention leading up to the Denver Broncos vs. the New England Patriots game?  

The Patriots looked like they were shot out of a cannon on offense.  There was no doubt that their game plan was to score early and force Tebow to beat them through the air.  Now please do not get all crazy and believe that the Patriots defense is fixed.  Both the Broncos and Ravens have seriously flawed offenses.  However, the versatility of the Patriots offense continues to amaze me.  Aaron Hernandez lined up at half back, gobbling up 12.1 yards per carry?  Seriously.

Yes, that is a tight end playing halfback.

The Ravens basically tried to give away their game to the TJ Yates-led Houston Texans.  If any fan base should be crying “this was the year” it is the Texans.  Even 2nd string Matt Leinert probably wins that game.  Hell, Yates could conceivably have led them to a win had Jacoby Jones not lost his mind and fumbled that early punt return setting the Ravens up for an easy TD.

What if?

NFL Network Mike Lombardi correctly wrote that he liked that the Ravens won a tough game and played poorly.  He’s right that is a good thing.  They do have obvious concerns though.  Joe Flacco is just ordinary.  He is easily the worst quarterback still in the playoffs.  Flacco is not terrible, but the Ravens were betting that by now he would be more than another Trent Dilfer.  Even Ravens safety Ed Reed has his doubts.

   Super Bowl QB? 

Did the Giants catch the Packers on a rare day off or did they cause the Packers to have an off-day?  That is the question that Packers and 49er fans must be asking this week.  The Giants fans aren’t asking that.  They are so full of themselves that they are convinced that this was simply divine interevention and once again they are a team of destiny or is it density.  Either way bring me a yogurt.

The Giants could have easily won that game by 30 points.  Aaron Rogers missed several open receivers in the first half when the game was still very close.  The Packers skills players fumbled and dropped passes all day.

The 2 plays that stand out the most though were the Bradshaw 23 yard run on a 3rd and 1 play at the end of the 1st half that set up the Hakeem Nicks hail mary.  No matter how bad your defense is you can’t give up those plays in a 13-10 game.  Actually you can if you are the Saints playing in New Orleans with Drew Brees at QB, but that is another story.  The Packers, flat all day, were never the same after those 2 plays.  Worse for Pack fans, it was clear that at that point the Giants knew they could win.

So where does that leave us?

In a fun place with two very similar match-ups for the conference championships - two very good defensive teams (Ravens & 49ers) versus to very good offensive teams (Giants & Patriots).  This has been the year of the quarterback.  So naturally that points to Brady and Manning winning their games.

The NFL is never that clean though.  Not these days.  One of the defensive teams will break through.  The question is which one? 

Despite the Ravens record against teams with winning records this year (7-1), I don’t buy Joe Flacco leading enough scoring drives against a mediocre at best Patriots defense in New England.  Belichick will try to take away Ray Rice and make Flacco beat them.  The Ravens defense will hit Brady which he hates. The Patriots just have too many ways to score though.  I don’t see defense completely taking away Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez and Wes Welker.

The Giants/49ers is a coin flip.  The Giants are the hotter team.  The 49ers can play the “no respect” card.  Eli is a stud (I just threw up a little in my mouth).  The Giants skills players are superior to the 49ers.  The 49ers defense is far more balanced than the Giants.  Watch Victor Cruz to see if the 49ers physicality impacts his play.  Hakeem Nicks is a far more physical receiver so he should fare better. Michael Crabtree has to catch the ball this week. Frank Gore will run against the Giants.  I have a hunch that the 49ers get to Eli more than the Giants get to Smith and special teams decides the game.  49ers 24- Giants 20.

Meanwhile congratulations to grantland.com on their new web design.  If you thought that the redesign was also a change in their content choices, think again.  Sadly, Taylor Swift’s date with Zac Efron was a big story to them on this week of the NFL conference championships.

Craft brewing has become as seasonal as retail shopping.  The pumpkin ales are out by September and gone before Halloween. Winter ales roll in November and are gone by January.

Strangely, the dry hopped IPA is the January beer.  Selections like Troeg's Nugget Nectar, Founder's Double Trouble and Bell's Hopslam are all being distributed now.  I recently tried a new contender, Wild Onion Hop Slayer Double IPA. While not on the level of the aforementioned, it was also very good. The flavor has my required citrus (grapefruit) and hop balance. I enjoyed it, but for lack of better words, it lacked the smoothness of the others.  The good news is that unlike the others, Hop Slayer is available year round.

Can You Handle The Truth?

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion in early 2012. 

I am a giving person.  I like to give.  Give I say.  In the spirit of giving note the following reality.

Take the Penn State Alumni.  (feel free is insert joke here) Bill O’Brien was hired as Joe Paterno’s replacement.  O’Brien, the New England Patriots’ current Offensive Coordinator, was not a popular choice of the alumni.  Why?  Because he is not a Penn Stater.  Quick memo to Penn State alumni, you lose your voice and any opportunity to have someone associated with Penn State when one of yours is arrested for child molestation.  That is just the way it is.  You see if a Penn Stater is hired as a Paterno replacement, it appears that the University learned nothing from the molestation and perhaps worse, the actions afterwards. 

If O’Brien succeeds all of this becomes a moot point. If he does not succeed, the next coach will most likely be a Penn Stater.  It is not hard to understand. C’mon use your Penn State education.

Have you heard the latest anti New England Patriot theories?  Good stuff.  Apparently good ol Bill Belichick is back to his “cheatin” ways.  You know with the hiring of Josh McCaniels right before the Patriots host the world beating Denver Broncos (more on their divine intervention later). 

Clearly THAT is cheating.  After all McDaniels was the driving force in drafting Tim Tebow (that guy again) in the first round.  McDaniels is a Tebow supporter (get in line).   I wonder  how much information McDaniels has now since he was the St Louis Rams offensive coordinator in 2011.  Talk about a challenging job.  

John Fox was hired to be the 2011 head coach of the Denver Broncos.  Seems to me that Mike McCoy (Denver OC) and Fox probably brought in a new offensive scheme.  McDaniels will help the Patriots, but is mostly there to help O'Brien transition to Penn State. 

Can it really be that hard to scheme for Tebow anyway?  He is a run first throw second QB (ever wonder if Tebow would get the same love if he was African American? Yes I wrote it.) which creates issues.  Play Cover 2 and run blitz now and again.  Force him make the throws into tight places rather than beat the blitz. 

As I noted back in November, white religious America is desperate for a hero.  Rick Perry sure as shit is not it.  Tebow fills the void.  He is fun to watch.  I love his competitive style.  10 years ago he would have been a QB to behold.  With the new rules that promote wide open passing styles, the Broncos will always have to play a close to perfect game to win.  That catches up to teams.  It always does.

Ramblings:

National media, please retire the Matty “Ice” Ryan nickname.   It is simply embarrassing.

Hines Ward, it was a great career.  Realize that it is over.

Jerry Jones.  Oh Jerry, where to start?  There is no such thing has having too many smart people to share information with on your staff.   Put your Cowboys stadium–sized ego aside and get help.  It will feel good.

Jeff Lurie, please have the balls to dump Andy Reid after the Eagles barely squeek out the NFC East title next year and lose in the first round of the playoffs.  Again. Look closer and Reid was the main reason the Eagles did not make the playoffs this year.

Jim Rome left ESPN for CBS.  I’m sure his act will be completely new and refreshing at CBS.

As a fan of craft beer, I occasionally check out BeerAdvocate.  This past week there was a thread on overrated beer.  There certainly are some out there.  However, the thread led to some serious venom toward craft brewers, specifically DogFishHead.   It always amazes me now narrow-minded people can be.  We live in the greatest era ever for beer.  Thousands of local craft beers are available in several different styles.  Some are great , some not so great.  If you want to criticize that is fine, but save the malice for the mass producers that make minimal effort at creating an exciting or different beer.

DogFish Head’s mantra is “off-centered stuff for off-centered people.”   Translation, they create beer that can be a little exotic because well, it is fun.  If you take that approach, guess what? They all will not be winners. Shit happens.  Personally, I did not love the Pearl Jam Faithful Ale.  So what.  They gave it a shot.

So this week, have a DogFish Head World Wide Stout.  Drink it in a snifter at room temperature.  Take your time.  Soak it in.  This is no typical stout.   Maybe you’ll love it. Maybe you will hate it because you foolishly were expecting Guinness Stout.  Either way appreciate the effort and creativity.